Beach Cricket Rule Book 2010/2011*
*As composed by D L Baker (2010) - in agreement with BCL Members
CONTENTS (sections)
1. Pitch Size
2. Time Limits
3. Wides
4. Ball Selection
5. Bowling Allocation
6. Dismissals
- 7. Bowled
- 8. Caught
- 9. Caught by the wicket keeper
- 10. Run outs
- 11. Caught by the sea
12. Out of bounds and run scoring areas
13. Results
14. Points
15. Batting order
16. Follow-on ruling
17. Position of bowler
18. New pitch
19. Retrieving balls from the sea
20. Non-players on the pitch
21. Dogs
22. Breaks
23. Ettiquette
All rules are for the 2 man game. Where a rule varies for the 3 man version of the game this variance is explained and highlighted in blue.
1. Pitch size
1.1 Pitch (from wicket to wicket) – 12 paces
1.2 Width (from off-stump to off-side boundary) – 12 paces (15 paces in 3 man game)
1.3 Length (from wicket to far end boundary) 18 paces (21 paces in 3 man game)
1.4 Wide marker (leg side) – 1 bat length (not including handle)
1.5 Wide marker (off side) – 1 bat length (not including handle)
1.6 Wicket Keeper zone – approximate semi-circle with a radius of 2 paces: the semi-circle should be behind the stumps but off-centre so that the majority of the area (about 60%) is on the off-side of the stumps to reflect the fact that the batsman is more likely to edge a delivery in this area.
2. Time limits
2.1 The time by which the game must end should be agreed prior to the start of the match.
2.2 When the playing time remaining reaches 30 minutes (45 minutes in the three man game) then the current innings automatically becomes the last innings of the match, with the game coming to an end when the playing time is exhausted (or sooner if the innings concludes before the remaining time is exhausted).
2.3 If the match is between innings when the remaining time reaches 30 minutes (45 minutes in the three man game) then one more innings will be played in the match.
3. Wides
3.1 The wide rule dictates that if the ball passes the stumps at more than a bat’s length (without handle) on either the leg-side or off-side, then 1 run shall be awarded to the batsman. If this occurs during the final innings then in addition to the run awarded, an extra delivery will be bowled after the game time is exhausted. This rule is designed to prevent negative play from hindering a batsman from reaching a match-winning total during the closing stages of a match.
3.2 A ‘high-ball wide’ is called when a ball that passes the batsman at head height (head height of the batsman currently at the crease if he was standing fully upright) or higher without bouncing first. The same penalties apply as stated in section 3.1.
4. Ball selection
4.1 The bowler may well have a choice of two or more balls to use. If he changes the ball during an innings he must make the batsman aware he is doing so.
4.2 If a ball is punctured then it must be exchanged for an alternative providing one is available.
4.3 The batsman has no say in which ball is used (unless the ball in play is punctured when he can demand a replacement is used).
5. Bowling allocation
5.1 In the three man game the amount of consecutive overs a player may bowl is set at 3. After bowling three overs the other player must be given the opportunity to bowl.
5.2 If the fielding player is unable or unwilling to take over bowling, only then may the bowler continue to bowl (even if they’ve already bowled their allocation of 3 overs).
6. Dismissals
6.1 If both (or all three) players are unsure about a dismissal than the batsman will be given not out.
6.2 If both players cannot agree on the decision then the batsman will be given not out.
6.3 If one player is unsure about the decision but the other player is certain of a verdict then the unsure player should accept this decision. Honesty and sportsmanship are necessary and players are encouraged to always be truthful and to trust the judgement of other players if they themselves are not sure of a decision.
6.4 A majority decision can be reached to give a player out if two players are certain that the batsman is out even if the batsman is adamant they are not out.
7. Bowled
7.1 A player is bowled if any contact is made between ball and stumps at the striker’s end. As there are no bails, any contact is sufficient for a player to be given out.
8. Caught
8.1 Normal rules apply to a batsman being caught. As no gloves are worn, batsman can be caught off the ‘glove’ if it hits anywhere on either hand (up to and including the wrist).
9. Caught by the wicket keeper
9.1 If the ball is hit by the batsman and lands in the wicket keeper zone without bouncing first, then he is given out. For the purposes of giving a player out, a ball that lands on the line of the wicket keeper zone is considered as landing in the zone (and should therefore be given out).
10. Run outs
10.1 A player can be run out by the fielding side disturbing the stumps with the ball at either end of the pitch (regardless of the direction the batsman is running in). A player is given ‘in’ if part of his body or bat is in line with or beyond the stumps at the end to which he is running when the ball makes contact with the stumps. There is no ‘crease’ in these circumstances just stumps to which the batsman must be parallel or beyond in order to be given ‘in’.
11. Caught by the sea.
11.1 A player is deemed to be given out ‘caught by sea’ if he hits the ball and it lands in the sea without bouncing first.
12. Out of bounds and run scoring areas.
12.1 Runs can only be scored where the ball is hit in front of the wicket on the off-side. If a ball reaches the boundary then its position when crossing the boundary determines whether the shot is considered off-side and therefore ‘scoring’ or not. If the ball does not reach the boundary then the point at which the ball comes to a stop or first comes into contact with any member of the fielding side determines whether the shot is scoring or not.
13. Results
Draw
13.1 A draw is declared in the 2 man game when the player with the highest total is unable to bowl his opponent out in the allotted time.
13.2 If the match has to be abandoned due to weather conditions or a rising tide then a draw is declared.
13.3 If a player is not bowled out in the allotted time and does not have the highest score then a draw is declared between that player and the player with the highest score. If the third player has not had chance to bat in that innings then they also are considered to have drawn the game. However, if that third player has completed their batting innings then they are deemed to have lost the game and are not part of the draw.
Win
13.4 A player is deemed to have won a game if they have the highest total when all batsmen have batted in the final innings, providing all other batsmen have either declared or been given out.
14. Points
Win = 3 points
Draw = 1 point
Non-participation allowance = 0.5 points
The criteria for being eligible for non-participation points is that a player must play in at least 30% of the total number of matches played in that season, any playing featuring in less than 30% of a season’s matches is not eligible for the allowance. Those who meet the criteria will receive points in the following cases:
14.1 Any player unable to take part in a match is awarded 0.5 points as compensation under the ‘non-participation allowance scheme’ providing that they give at least 24 hours notice before commencement of the match that they will not be able to take part.
14.2 Any player whose registered address is out side of the county in which a match is being played will automatically be eligible for the 0.5 point without providing notice that they will not be participating.
15. Batting order
15.1 Batting order is decided by each player in turn bowling at an exposed set of stumps at the striker’s end.
15.2This delivery of the ball must a legal bowl.
15.3 The player whose ball is closest to the wicket (or strikes the wicket) gets first choice of which position they will bat.
15.4 If more than one player hits the wicket then the player whose ball strikes the middle stump wins the right to decide what position they bat in.
15.5 If more than one player hits the middle stump then the players who do so must bowl at the stumps again to determine who wins the right to chose batting position first.
15.6 The player who finishes second closest gets to choose their batting position after the player with the closest bowl has chosen their own position.
15.7 The player whose delivery lands furthest from the target must take whichever batting position is left after the other two players have chosen.
15.8 A delivery that doesn’t reach the wicket will automatically be classed as being further way from the stumps than any delivery that does travel far enough to be parallel or beyond the stumps
15.9 If all deliveries are short of the stumps then the ball that comes to a rest closest to the stumps will be considered as the winning delivery.
15.10 Unless two or more players hit the middle stump with their deliveries or there is deemed to be a tie between two or more deliveries of equal distance from the stumps then no player will be allowed a second delivery, for example if they are not satisfied with their original effort.
15.11 Once the batting order is determined than this order must be adhered to for the duration of the game unless a follow on is enforced (see ‘follow on’ for details.)
16. Follow-on ruling
16.1 If a player is 75 runs or more ahead of an opponent after a complete innings then they may insist that that player bats before they bat themselves in the next innings. 16.2 The player enforcing the follow-on cannot make the player following-on bat ahead of a third opponent unless either the third opponent is also 75 runs or more behind the person enforcing the follow-on; or the third person is themselves 75 runs or more ahead of the person following-on and is also enforcing the follow-on. 16.3 The follow-on is optional and will not necessarily always be enforced by a player in a position allowing them to do so.
17. Position of bowler
17.1 The bowler must indicate to the batsman if he intends to change the side of the wicket he is bowling from. To do this he must point and can also verbally inform the batsman. The batsman should acknowledge this with a nod of the head. 17.2 Every time the bowler changes the side of the wicket he is bowling from he must repeat this process.
17.3 If the bowler makes no indication as to the side of the wicket he is bowling from it will be assumed that he is bowling over the wicket (the left side of the wicket from the point of view of the bowler).
17.4 If a bowler delivers the ball from a side of the wicket that he has not indicated he will be bowling from then the delivery will be considered a ‘no ball’ allowing the batsman to score from it but meaning that he cannot be given out (unless run out).
18. New pitch
18.1 At any point a player can suggest moving to a new pitch but the game can only move to a new pitch once the entire innings has been finshed (when everyone has batted the same amount of times).
18.2 In the 2 man game both players must agree to move to a new pitch in order for the move to take place.
18.3 If 2 out of the 3 players agree to move to a new pitch then the move will take place despite the 3rd player not being in agreement.
18.4 The only time that the game can and must be moved to a new pitch (even during an innings) is when a rising tide forces this to take place. Only when the tide rises sufficiently to make contact with the line of the wicket keeping area does this clause come into effect. If this happens then the pitch should immediately be repositioned further up the beach at a point agreed by all players as being safe and reasonable.
19. Retrieving balls from the sea
19.1 A ball hit into the sea may be collected by the bowling side but if they are unwilling to do so then the batsman must retrieve the ball.
19.2 If, when requested, a batsman refuses to retrieve a ball that he has hit into the sea, then he will be disqualified from the match and be deducted three points from his championship total.
20. Non-players on the pitch
From time to time non-players will venture on to the pitch with scant regard for their own safety or the importance of the match. The presence of non-players can add pressure to the batsman. They are a hazard which is part of beach cricket and which players must learn to deal with.
20.1 When a non-player is present on the pitch it is the bowler’s decision whether to continue with the next delivery. If he decides to deliver the ball then normal match rules apply and the batsman must play the ball (or risk being bowled out).
20.2 It is the batsman’s responsibility to avoid striking a non-player with the ball; he must use his own judgement to determine which shot to play and face any consequences.
20.3 If during the timed final innings the bowler decides that it is necessary to wait for a non-player to leave the playing area before continuing bowling, then the clock must be stopped if and when the delay exceeds 30 seconds.
21. Dogs
21.1 It is the bowler’s (and fielder’s) responsibility to retrieve a stolen ball from a dog. If a dog steals a ball during the timed final innings then the clock must be stopped if the dog has not returned the ball within 30 seconds.
21.2 When retrieving a ball from a particularly aggressive dog then a bat may be used to assist in the process.
22. Breaks
22.1 A player is entitled to take water at any point in the match but this should result in no more than one minute’s delay in play per intake of water. If this occurs during the timed final innings then the clock should be stopped during this break in play.
22.2 At the end of each innings players are entitled to stop for up to 2 minutes to take on water and nutrients. If all players decide not to take this break or all players take a shorter break then play can continue once all players are ready.
22.3 During a match players are entitled to one ‘half-time’ break of up to 10 minutes. This break can be shorter or not taken at all but all players must agree to this.
22.4 If any one player insists on a 10 minute ‘half-time’ break then this must be respected despite any possible conflicting preferences of other players.
22.5 The timing of the ‘half-time’ break is determined through consultation between the 2 players; if they cannot agree then the earliest suggested time for the break will be accepted.
22.6 In the three man game the timing of the ‘half-time’ break can be determined by consensus or preference of the majority if necessary. If all three players disagree with each other’s preferences then the earliest suggested time for the break will be accepted.
22.7 Other ad-hoc breaks can be taken throughout the game for as long as players decide but only when all players agree to the break and the length of time to be allocated. Such breaks can only be taken at the end of a complete innings.
23. Etiquette
Etiquette is very much down to the individual but certain practices normally apply.
23.1 When a player reaches a landmark such as half-century or century he will usually be applauded by the other player(s). However, this practice is not always observed in bad tempered matches where there may have been controversy surrounding the batsman’s innings, for example a firm belief that the batsman should already have been given out.
23.2 In the two man game a batsman will often decline to take a ‘cheap’ run. This may be when a shot only travels a very short distance from the bat or travels at a virtual right angle to the bat. The batsman may consider it to be ungentlemanly to take a run in such circumstances and may even retrieve the ball himself. However, there is no rule to say that they must do this and where this is not observed the opposing player may well follow their example during their own innings. During the closing stages of tight matches players are less likely to observe this practice as runs become more precious.
